The Hunted
by RaikouTenshi
Summary: This story was of my own creation I came up with the idea during one of my creative writing classes. The characters are all owned by me as well as the story line, plot etc. The story takes place in Italy and centers around the main character Celeste.
1. Chapter 1

The Hunted 

I was sitting in the dark back corner of the classroom. I rolled my eyes and my arms were crossed on top of the desk with my head resting on them, I wasn't paying attention.

_God when do we get the heck out of here, _I thought. I had been bored with this class from the very first day.

It was A.P. Statistics and math was definitely not my favorite subject. Mainly the class just bored me. I'd rather do something more creative with my mind than just practice the same stupid problems over and over again. I gazed out the window and saw little serpents of water swim across the two large windows. The weather had been ugly lately. I was a senior this year and that meant I would be leaving soon.

_And good riddance, I can't stand this place. I've had enough of this idiotic teenager drama._

I had been told on countless occasions that I'm older than my years. I'm only seventeen which is young for a senior and I wouldn't be turning eighteen until after attending my first couple of months of college. I really didn't like people in general, but I adore animals. During my years at high school I had learned just how weak minded and vulgar people could be, and started to detest them.

The only good friend I really had at school was Azzurra. Azzurra had never known how I really felt about people but she didn't really need to.

I felt a sudden shiver go down my spine.

_I want out. _

I couldn't explain it. I had an unsettling feeling seemed as if someone was watching me. I turned my head but was met with a blank stare from the wall behind me. I tried to clear my head but the strange feeling would not leave.

_Maybe a bit of fresh air would help. _

I raised my hand and quietly asked the teacher if I could use the restroom and I quickly left the room.

The hallway was empty and felt like a musty tunnel on the road. I walked down the hall, staring at white linoleum floor and made a right turn. I scanned the tops of the lockers down the next stretch of the hallway before going into the restroom. While I was washing my hands I saw something move near the entrance and I jumped. I turned and realized that it was just my reflection in the mirror. My heart was still hammering in my chest. I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh. I forced myself to relax and then stepped out into the hallway.

Instead of going back to class, I wandered further down the shorter stretch of the hallway which was lined with lockers. The walls were composed of clear glass and a few tiny rays of sunlight streamed through. Then I saw a glimmer. Something was shining in the trees of the courtyard. Letting my curiosity get the better of me, I ventured to the one of the windows hoping that I could get a better look at the object. I first checked for teachers, who snooped around the hallways looking for skipping students. None of them were in sight.

Turning my attention back toward the trees, I strained to catch another glance of the glimmering object. Then I saw another sparkling object to my right, opposite of where I originally had seen it.

_How could it appear in two places like that? And what is it? _

Before I could process what was happening, two figures smashed through the windows. I held my arms up to shield myself from the small shards of glass.

To my right stood a strikingly tall pale man with long black hair that came down past his shoulders. He was much larger than I was and he held a beautiful sword in his hand. Despite his jump through the window he didn't have a cut on him at all and his face was breathtaking. As I sized him up I notice his eyes were a deep sapphire blue with a purple-like hue and also realized that he had fangs.

My head turned swiftly to my left as I heard a soft clicking noise. There stood another young man. This one looked about the same age as the other. He had short bleach blonde hair almost giving it a silver hue and his eyes were a glowing aqua. His physique was similar to the other man and he was almost the same height. He however did not bear any fangs_. _

_At least not any that are visible…yet. _

I gulped.

The blonde man held a pair of guns, one in each hand. They were like two glistening black cobras waiting for permission to strike. I looked frantically between the two apparent enemies. I had taken several self defense training lessons and was the best in my class. But both of these men looked quite strong, and I doubted that I would be able to defeat them in combat.

I froze, unable to figure out how I could get out of the crossfire between these two angered creatures. One thing I was sure about was that these two were not human at all. The air seemed to be chilled all around them. The blonde man's eyes widened and then he sighed and I saw his shoulder muscles relax. It seemed that he recognized the other man.

The one with black hair narrowed his eyes. His voice was harsh as an icy winter blast.

"Where are they?" he said. The blonde man started to open his mouth to say something. Suddenly a group of snarls echoed through the hall behind me. Both of the men's heads snapped up from their positions, their gazes now fixed on whatever was behind me. The dark haired man swore under his breath. In one swift motion he picked me up. My eyes widened in surprise and I struggled as he grabbed me around my waist.

"Hey what are you doing? Who do you think you are? You can't just-" I said.

"I would suggest that you be quiet and not struggle if you want to live," he said. I shut my mouth as he took off running down the hall. The blonde shot at whatever was behind us and then closely followed. After running out of the school and hiding in a nearby patch of trees they waited patiently until they were sure the threat was gone.

"How did they find us?" the blonde said. He placed his guns in two holsters at his side.

"Probably because they could smell you a mile away," the dark one replied. He sheathed his sword in a silver scabbard.

"Well I would think it was your fault, after all you _are_ the prince are you not?" the blonde said.

"Ummm....does anyone want to explain what is going on?" I said. The dark haired man was still holding me but after I spoke he abruptly dropped me on the ground. I landed on my stomach, which didn't feel too good. I shot him a warning glare but he just smirked at me as if to say _yeah, and what are you gonna do about it?_ The young man with the guns stepped forward first. He shot a glare at the dark haired man, who shrugged it off.

"At least one of us will try to be civil. My name is Nero," he said. He offered me a hand and I took it. I got to my feet and started to brush myself off.

"And my name is Argento," said the other man.

"My name is-"I started to say.

"Celeste" they said in unison.

"H-how did you know what my name was?" I asked.

"We've been keeping an eye on you for a while now," Nero said.

"But how?" I asked still shocked.

Argento waved his hand. "We have connections too you know."

I looked up at them. "So you guys aren't human….either one of you."

Argento snorted. "And neither are you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. I was getting fed up with his attitude.

Nero rolled his eyes. "Never mind him. But you're right. I'm a shape shifter and also a vampire hunter." He glanced down at his guns and smiled a little.

"Can you guess what I am?" Argento asked.

"A vampire," I said.

Argento clapped his hands mockingly. "I wonder how you ever figured that one out," he said.

My temper was not something I would say I had ultimate control over. It was flaring as Argento mocked me. I bit my lip to stop me from saying something that would get me hurt. My jaw stiffened.

_He had better watch it. _

"And wouldn't you like to know what you are, Celeste?" Argento said. His voice wasn't provoking this time but actually mellow.

I nodded.

"Well, this is gonna take some time," Nero said. He propped himself against the wall.

Argento sighed. "About seven hundred years ago there lived a vampire named Stregoni Benefici. During this time the vampire race split into two groups. One of them, the Chelicerans, used their powers to help the innocent. But the other group, the Nadarians, was the exact opposite. They had planned to eradicate the human race, a slaughter by the thousands. Stregoni decided that he would side with the Chelicerans. The Nadarians were very strong and composed of a larger group than the Chelicerans. Stregoni then started to prey on the Nadarians. By ingesting their blood he became stronger than any other vampire."

"They say his line diminished with time. But we have found out that there is at least one direct descendent of his left alive," Nero said.

They both gazed at me. I shook my head confused.

"That's not poss-"I was cut off.

"It is possible," Argento said. He eyes seemed amused for a few minutes and then he started to walk towards me. I held my ground, however. I wasn't sure what he was going to do. My body stood rigid.

He circled me twice, his eyes locked with mine. He smirked "You have his arrogant attitude," he said.

_I have an arrogant attitude? Me! That's it. I've had enough of this. _

I was about to retort when I heard someone call my name. Azzurra had spotted me at the edge of the trees. Her long blonde hair stirred in the breeze as she made her way over to meet me. My heart beat faster as she approached.

_How in the world am I going to explain what these two are doing here? Not to mention begin to explain to her what they are. _

"Celeste what are you doing out here in the woods? It's-"she stopped.

Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Argento and Nero. Azzurra raised an eyebrow and shot a questioning look at me. I gave a nervous glance at Argento.

"Who are _these _guys?" Azzurra asked. Nero rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

"Stop pretending you don't know who I am," Nero said. His voice was playful. Azzurra smiled. Nero walked forward and gave her a quick hug.

"Wait, I definitely missed something here," I said. "Azzurra how do you know-"

"We've been working together for about four months now. I've been keeping tabs on you while they took their sweet time getting here," she said.

"So….does that mean that you're not human too?" I asked.

"Yep. Do you remember the little gray kitten that followed you home last week?" she asked.

"That was you?" I asked. She smiled and nodded. "I'm a shape shifter myself and I also hunt these guys," she said, nodding in Argento's direction, "but not as often as Nero does. Oh and by the way I cleaned up all the glass you guys shattered. Why did you guys have to make such a mess?"

Argento ignored the question. "Speaking of hunting, we should get going."

"Huh? But I have to-"I started to say.

Argento snarled. "You apparently don't understand the situation. We are now being hunted by the Nadarians. For every breath we waste explaining the situation to you, they are regrouping. They'll attack again before nightfall. If we don't get to a safe place by then, we're all dead."

"But where can we go?" I asked.

"We can't go to your house," Nero said. "That'll be one of their targets for sure."

"What about my house?" Azzurra suggested.

Argento shook his head. "Your place will most likely be targeted as well. We'll have to go to my house."

"Why?" I asked. "What makes your house so safe?"

Argento smirked. "Where we're going, the Nadarians won't be able to follow." ~

~ We traveled through the dense forest. Argento lead the way followed by the rest of us since we had no idea where we going.

"How far is you house?" Nero asked. "We've been walking for hours!"

Argento rolled his eyes. "We're almost there, and it's only been three hours so stop complaining."

"Well, where are we going anyways? It seems to me like we've been walking in circles," I said.

"Well you don't want the Nadarians to find us so my way is better," Argento said.

"You still didn't answer my question," I said.

"There is a small pool of water about a quarter of a mile from here and-"he started.

"Oh, I think I know where that is. I used to walk back here when I was restless. I used to stop by the pool and just kinda meditate there. We are definitely not taking the shortest route there though," I said.

"Well if you think know the way better, why don't you lead?" Argento said.

"Maybe I will," I said. I shot him a glare. I caught up to him but didn't necessarily go ahead of him. I hadn't visited the pond in a while but remembered most of the pathway there and didn't want any blame put on me for taking a wrong turn.

Argento caught my eye and he started to walk faster. Again my eyes flashed a warning.

_Two can play as this game, _I thought.

However Argento beat me to it. He stuck his foot out in front of me. I picked up my right foot, but unfortunately forgot to pick up my left foot. As I started to fall I turned and grabbed his shirt, pulling him down with me.

_I'm not gonna let him get off that easy. _

We hit the ground with a loud thud. Of course he had to land on top of me. I stared at him with thundering eyes. He however did something I did not expect. He started laughing.

"What are _you_ laughing at?" I said. This apparently caused him to laugh harder. Nero and Azzurra walked by us. This was the first time I noticed the two were holding hands. Nero whispered something to Azzurra which made her giggle.

"So you two love birds coming or what?" Nero said.

Argento immediately stopped laughing and got off me. He was clearly irritated at what Nero had just implied. I stood up and tried to hide the blush that had crept across my face. I shook my head trying to clear my thoughts due the strange incident.

"Come on, we'd better catch up or they'll definitely go the wrong way," Argento said. "And if that happens we'll have to chase the stupid idiots down."

"So…why were you laughing anyways?" I asked him. I felt a little dumb for asking such a weird question.

"Oh that," he paused "Well I guess it's because I thought it was quite immature of you to try to drag me down with you. I found it humorous in a way."

I raised an eyebrow. "You make no sense sometimes," I said.

"Like you make any sense to me?" he asked.

"Huh?" I said.

"Now let me ask you a question. Why are you so hostile towards me?" he asked.

"Ah-"I stopped. I had actually started to argue before I fully understood the question. "I----uhh---ummm…." I trailed off.

"It's okay, I'm used to it. I've been used to it for the past hundred years," he said. He started to walk away from me. Then he stopped. "The question you have to ask yourself is…do you hate me simply because I'm a vampire…or is it because you're afraid of getting too close to people and being hurt by them? Sometimes it's easier to swim with the current of the river, rather than against it."

I looked down at the ground. He certainly had me there. He started to walk off. I thought about his words for a little while before gathering up the courage to catch up to him. As I walked beside him his words kept coming back into my head like an endless echo.

_Maybe I should be a little bit nicer to him, _I thought.

"We're here," Argento said.

There before us stood a small but deep pool of crystal blue water. It looked like the opening of a small volcano although we were all pretty sure it was not going to erupt anytime soon. Argento waded into the water.

"Make sure you take a deep breath before you go under," he said. All of us nodded. Nero followed after Argento, then Azzurra, and finally me. The underwater tunnel that we followed had black smooth walls. The water was so clear I could even see the bottom of the tunnel. I was almost out of breath when I saw light shimmering above the surface of the water. When I popped my head out of the water I realized I was in a cave. We dried ourselves off as best as we could and then Argento started to lead us out of the cave. Near the entrance of the cave, was a sloping cliff. The sun caused the mica in the granite stone to twinkle. In the distance there was a small forest surrounded by a field of tall wheat. A large black house stood in the middle of the majestic scenery.

"That's your house?" I asked.

Argento simply nodded. ~

~ The sun was starting to set when we reached the front door. The exterior of the house was made of black stone and stood two stories tall. I noticed immediately that there were no windows, at least in the front of the house. We walked in and Argento locked the door behind us. The interior was nothing like the gloomy exterior of the house. The floors were a swirl of white and black marble. The staircase had two magnificent white columns that reminded me of those in ancient Rome. Crimson drapes cradled the walls where the windows should have been. There was a kitchen made entirely of black marble. A larger room had a white couch and a small glass table. Next to it was a smaller room with a large glass table. A few red and white candles were burning on the table. I watched as the wax oozed slowly onto the transparent surface.

"If you're hungry there is a bit of food in the fridge. We should all probably get some sleep though," Argento said. "There are three rooms upstairs and one downstairs. I really hope we didn't attract anyone's attention on our way here. I don't want to have to deal with any Nadarians tonight."

"If any Nadarians _do _show up, I'll blow their freaking heads off," Nero said as he walked upstairs.

"He gets like that when he's really tired…and hungry," Azzura whispered.

"Then why doesn't he eat something?" I asked.

"Cuz I don't feel like it," Nero mumbled.

I rolled my eyes.

Azzura giggled. "See what I mean? Well, I'm gonna go get something to eat. Want something?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks anyways," I said. Azzura disappeared into the kitchen. A few minutes later I saw her go upstairs. After standing there for a few minutes I realized my legs started to tremble. It had been a long walk to Argento's house and I was beginning to feel exhausted. I was about to leave but then I remembered something.

"Thank you," I said to Argento. I thought he didn't hear me but as I walked past him I heard him whisper "You're welcome."


	2. Chapter 2

~ "Celeste where are you? Celeste? Can you here me?"

I woke abruptly from a sound sleep. The blue silken sheets clung to my chilled body. A bead of sweat ran down my face.

_That was my mother's voice, _I thought. I tried to calm myself down by getting up and going downstairs. I sat down on the couch and watch as moonbeams danced across the marble floors. There was a single window in the ceiling.

_Mom you must be wondering where I am…..I wish I could tell her I'm alright…she does worry an awful lot……_

Something moved near the steps and I jumped. Then I heard a chuckle.

"Sorry if I snuck up on you," Argento said "We tend to be like cats in that respect."

He sat down next to me.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"Yeah sorta," I replied.

"Did you have a bad dream?" he asked. He didn't look at me.

"How did you know?" I asked.

He paused.

"Being a vampire, I guess you could say I can access your conscious without you realizing it. It was kinda hard at first. You had a pretty thick barrier, which took me a while to get through, but I did it," he said. "I owe you an apology. I shouldn't enter a person's conscious without their permission; unless it's an enemy then it's actually quite useful."

"I'm sorry, I really don't understand what you're saying," I said.

"Well, basically I can read your thoughts, dreams and your heart," he said.

"Oh so that's why you said those things when we were back there in woods. So you basically read my heart?" I said "How do you do that?"

"Well that's the toughest ability to acquire. Reading thoughts is easy, dreams are little bit tougher because of the certain barriers set up while people are asleep. Reading the heart means you see a person's most inner desires or fears. You also get a clear view of who a person really is," he said. "And the trick to all this is getting past the barriers."

"So the toughest barrier would be around the heart then, right?" I asked.

"That's right. It also depends on how strong your conscious is," he said. "So about your dream…you're worried about your mom aren't you?"

"She worries a lot, especially about me. I wish there was some way I could tell her that I was alright," I said.

"They know you're…safe," he said. It seemed like he was choosing his words carefully.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I came to them about four months ago and said that you needed special protection for a while. I told them about your family's lineage and warned them that if Nero, Azzurra and I were not allowed to protect you, you would surely be killed. So they trusted me to take care of you," he said.

"Will….will I ever see them again?" I asked.

He smiled slightly. "I'm sure you will," he said.

"Do you ever see your parents?" I asked.

He frowned at this and turned his head away.

_Did I say something wrong? _

"I…I'm sorry." I said finally after a long pause. "If you don't want to talk about it with me I'm okay with that." I stood up.

_Maybe he needs some time alone. I think he might be mad at me for bringing it up, _I thought.

"Wait," he said. His hand caught my wrist. I turned to him questioningly.

"Argento, it's okay. I understand there are some things in your world that I will not comprehend so you don't have to tell me everything," I said.

"It's not that Celeste. I think you can comprehend it actually, I'm just….I've just never talked to anyone about my family before so…" he trailed off.

I sat down next to him. His hand was still around my wrist. He gave a deep sigh. Then a silence filled the room. Argento seemed to stop breathing. When he spoke his voice was soft.

"My father was a Nadarian and my mother was Cheliceran," he said "I am actually the only surviving member of my family. Because my parents came from opposing sides they were hunted and murdered. My older brother and younger sister were also found and killed. I narrowly escaped being captured. I'm still being hunted though."

"Hmm…I remember Nero saying something about you being 'The Prince'," I said. "What exactly did he mean by that?"

He gave me a quick smirk. "Well, you're looking at the true heir of the vampire empire." Then his tone changed dramatically. "That's why I'm hunted so much. Not only am I a despicable creature but I'm also next in line for the throne. The vampire society would never allow a half breed like me to rule, not in a million years." He turned away from me again so I couldn't see his eyes.

"I don't think you're a monster at all," I said. "Some part of you was civilized enough to save me when we first met remember? I don't think a despicable creature would do such a thing. And…. I think that you would make a very good vampire king."

Argento turned to me. He seemed slightly surprised.

"You don't think I'm," he paused and examined his other hand in the shaft of moonlight, "strange because I'm a half-breed?"

"You want to know what I really think about you?" I asked.

He arched one of his eyebrows. "I'm listening," he said.

I smiled. "Read my mind then," I said.

He tiled his head but smiled and closed his eyes.

_I think you're an amazing person, not to mention very handsome and I am really glad I met you, _I thought.

He ducked his head a little and smiled.

"You know you're the first person who has ever said kind, honest words like that to me," he said.

I blushed. I was little embarrassed. "I…well…uh…"

"It's getting late," he said looking towards the stairs.

"Right," I stood up. "I'll just-"

Aregento's hands held mine. I looked down at the floor. I was even more embarrassed than before.

"I'll walk you to your room," he said. He stood up and was at my side. When I reached my door I turned to him and let go of his hand.

"Thank you," I said. I smiled, turned, and went into my room.

Argento closed the door. "No, thank you Celeste," he whispered.

As I lay on my bed I heard a low deep thumbing noise. I suddenly realized it was my heart. I placed my hand where my heart was. It didn't feel like it was beating hard, but I could hear it so clearly in my head.

_My heart's never beaten so loudly, _I thought. I decided to ignore it and tried to get some sleep.

Argento suddenly halted on the steps and laid a hand on his chest. He eyes widened. "Celeste's heart isn't the one that was beating like thunder," he whispered in amazement "it's mine."


	3. Chapter 3

~ Morning came. I awoke feeling refreshed. A single shaft of light fluttered across my face. I got up, brushed my hair, and headed downstairs. Nero was in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Hey Nero," I said.

"Hi," he said. He sighed. "Well, we weren't attacked last night by any of the Nadarians."

"Does that mean we're safe?" I asked.

"No, I just don't think they would be bold enough to venture here," he said.

"What makes you think we won't venture here?" a dark voice replied.

Nero drew his guns and pushed me behind him. A shadowy figure stood in the corner of the kitchen.

"Canna, you Nadarian scum! What do you want?" Nero asked. He glanced at me. His eyes were full of worry and he shifted nervously. Canna stepped forward. He was taller than Argento with long golden hair. His eyes were emerald green. On his left hand, he bore a silver ring with a red stone. I turned and saw Azzura standing beside me. The barrel of her gun was also pointed at Canna.

"Isn't this precious. Two little vampire hunters trying to protect the very thing that could destroy them," Canna said.

_What does he mean? Is he talking about me? _ I thought. Suddenly Argento appeared.

"Don't be overconfident Canna. This is_ my_ house," Argento said.

He had positioned himself between Canna and the hunters.

"Ah, Argento. It's been a while. Oh, that reminds me. Has that horrid injury of yours healed yet? Surely you remember the one I gave you during our last encounter," Canna said.

_A scar? Argento never mentioned anything about that…_

Argento ignored the question. Suddenly Argento fell to his knees. His fangs were showing and he growled in pain. His hand was gripping his right shoulder. I knew that he was hurt. Canna charged forward. A flurry of bullets sprinkled the kitchen floor but Canna avoided all of them. He sent both hunters flying across the room. I was left unprotected and without any weapons.

"Celeste, watch out!" Argento said.

I didn't even flinch. Something was burning inside of me. A voice inside my head told me not to move and to look Canna directly in the eyes. I felt Canna's arm slamming into my body and heard the impact as I collided with the wall. My mind went blank and then it was dark. The voice inside steadily grew louder as did the burning sensation. It felt as if the blood in my veins had been replaced with fire. Suddenly I opened my eyes. I first noticed a red aura around my body. I looked down at my hands. My nails were as sharp as falcon talons. I felt two large pointed fangs with my tongue. Argento stared at me from where he knelt. The hunters also seemed to be shocked by my sudden transformation. I growled at Canna. The growl was not like the one Argento had made. It was filled with the fury of a wild animal. Canna smiled, slightly amused.

"Well, I believe I must be going now. I have the information I came here for," Canna said. With a single leap he smashed through the roof and disappeared. My eyelids started to droop as I was hit with a wave of exhaustion. I fell to the floor and closed my eyes.


End file.
